What’s it all about?

Hurstville City Council, with funding support from the Australian Government's Water for the Future initiative and the NSW Office of Environment & Heritage, has constructed a stormwater harvesting and reuse scheme within the Hurstville golf course. The construction of the $2.6 Million project began in the middle of 2012 and was completed in February 2014.

How does it work?

Stormwater is harvested from catchments to the north, east and west of the course and stored in a pond located in the area west of the 4th hole.

The stormwater is collected from an existing pipe that runs under the 13th fairway between Roberts Avenue and Lime Kiln Bay. From there, water is pumped into a bioretention system that filters out sand, sediment and other substances before entering the storage pond. The water then undergoes further treatment to remove any bacteria before it is used to irrigate the golf course.

What does it look like?

As well as the bioretention system and storage pond, the scheme includes a small wetland that serves as a water hazard in front of the 3rd green. Each of these elements has been designed by Council’s consultant team, which includes engineering, landscape design and irrigation specialists, and will not only improve the condition of the course but also its look and feel.

Aerial photographs taken before and after the project – You can see the greener turf along the right side of the Golf Course after the project completion

Why is Council doing it?

The scheme has a number of positive impacts on the golf course and also benefits the natural environment. Apart from improving the look of the course it also enhances its capacity to withstand long dry summers by providing a reliable source of irrigation water which is sufficient to irrigate all the greens and tees within the course. The scheme will also save more than 20 million litres of drinking water that is currently used to irrigate the course.

From an environmental perspective, the scheme prevents sediment, excess nutrients and gross pollutants (i.e. litter and rubbish) from entering Lime Kiln Bay and the Georges River. Over 30,000 trees, plants and shrubs were planted which also provide important habitat for native animals.

The Peakhurst Light Industrial Stormwater Harvesting and Reuse Scheme is an example of a Water Sensitive Urban Design initiative.

Key principles of Water Sensitive Urban Design

The key principles of Water Sensitive Urban Design as stated in the Urban Stormwater – Best Practice Environmental Management Guidelines, are:

Register your interest - register your interest to receive updates about the project, take part in a site tour, or to learn more about how you can reuse stormwater at your home, business or school.

View a map showing the configuration of the scheme

View a map showing the catchment boundary and surrounding landuses

Take a tour of the Hurstville golf club

This Project is jointly funded by Hurstville City Council, the Australian Government's Water for the Future initiative, the NSW Government's Climate Change Fund and the Waste and Sustainability Incentive Payment Program.